US Customs’ Policy Enables Data Retrieval And Sharing From User Devices For 15 Years

Thanks to one senator from the US, there are plenty of alarm bells ringing after a shocking discovery related to the US Customs and border protection unit was made public.

According to the Senator, a CBP policy has enabled an agency to track, trace, and download user data located on searched devices for up to 15 years. And if required, they’re even given a chance to make the information public to many federal agents.

The news was first made public thanks to Senator Ron Wyden. He wrote the following concerning information. In that, he urged officials to take note of this and update their policy because it wasn’t right. Looking through anyone and everyone’s phone for such a long time and having that data become a part of the database was really a shocking feature to some.

As of now, it’s still unclear what the exact figures are as far as people affected are concerned. Hence, how many Americans have gotten their data taken and shared with Federal agents continues to be a mega mystery for obvious reasons.

The Senator was furious and stated that the CBC wasn’t cooperating well with his team and failed to provide more information on the matter. And even though all of this data collection is being done on the basis of security, some reports confirm border searches continuously arising without any warrants being issued.

Why personal devices are being tapped into without a special request or permission is a question on many people’s minds. And now, the issue has been upheld in front of the public to raise awareness on the subject.

Similarly, some reports by the Senator claim that searches are taking place on travelers and they’re not even told about their rights in the country before they’re forced to give up their phones. In the same way, there aren’t any tear sheets being offered when a search begins, and that’s concerning, which allows the traveler to refuse.

Just taking devices and not outlining the measures of how data is being looked at is really shocking. And then seizing that data for a period of 15 years is just mind-boggling for many.

After that, there was some discussion about how tear sheets do mention how collecting this sort of data is mandatory. However, they failed to outline how the officials have no right to arrest Americans or stop them from making an entry into the country, just in case they don’t inform the CBC of any passwords belonging to their devices.

On that note, the Senator added that no one could be tricked for the sake of data, be it their phone or laptop.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

WhatsApp is working on new updates for both Android and iOS

WhatsApp is undoubtedly one of the best chatting apps ever made. The app served as the saving grace of socialites when all hope was lost. It helped families stay connected over thousands of miles and is still serving this purpose. The app is used by millions of people every day.

Now, when we take a scenario where we have just sent a message that was meant for a group of friends to a group of work colleagues. So, we go to delete it but bad luck strikes again and we delete it just for ourselves. With this being done we have no way to even see the message much less retrieve it. but, this new WhatsApp for the iOS feature is just the solution to it. This new feature will let users retrieve their deleted messages within a set time of deleting them.

According to a screenshot posted by WABetaInfo, when we delete a message by mistake, we have a few seconds to retrieve the message before it is gone forever by using a small bar that will pop up once we delete the message. It will say message deleted and will have a small undo button on the side and clicking on the button will bring the message back. This feature has been around for Android for a long time now but as of yesterday it has come to iOS as well and the WhatsApp for iOS 22.19.75 update is listed as a compatible version.

Moving on to our second update of the day, it is a very exciting one that is made for android.

When we go onto Instagram stories we are often face to face with the polls option on stories, whether it is in our own or other people’s Instagram stories. Well, what if we told you that this feature is now under development on WhatsApp for Android as well?

The thing is that according to newly released data from WABetainfo, this feature will let users create polls and share them in groups with up to 12 options for a single poll. We don’t know for sure if this number will change before the official release but there is a high chance of this happening.

According to a screenshot, when we go to the attachment option on the chat, that is exactly where we will find the option. As this feature is still under development this is all that has been released about it as of now but make sure to keep your ears peeled for any new developments.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Instagram’s New Tactic to Help Influencers by Creating Social Media Kit

Since creators are the main focus of Instagram, the platform tries its best to attract more creators by all possible means. One of its most recent innovations to increase engagement and attract creators is the new Social Media Kit.

Instagram’s creator campaigns have been quite frequent recently, starting from its revenue-generating tactics to creator-funding options. Now Instagram is adding more to the creative help side than the money-making side.

So what exactly does this kit contain? According to Alessandro Paluzzi, it is a list of things that would help brands build and prepare their pitches. It consists of tools that would help you add text to showcase your work and select your favorite posts to display. It also provides an option to show the people and brands you're working with and show your Instagram insights.

This new kit will make your Instagram profile into a perfectly presentable package for all possible collaborators or clients. You can write in your bio, showcase your top posts, and point to previous collaborators. It will also add key analytics and audience stats.

After reviewing all these features, this does resemble the Meta Creator Platform a lot. So is this an original idea or is it just a copy? Well, whatever it might be, we’re sure it will have the Instagram touch to it and it will help creators perform better.

One difference that we did pick out is that Instagram’s kit provides more power and control to creators. They have full power over how their profile is represented to clients or partners. However, here’s the con. This kit is still a prototype, an internal one.

Since YouTube announced the launch of a similar feature a while back, we are sure Instagram will announce its official launch soon as well. This is quite the feature to lure in more creators and we believe the platform that launches it first will have the most benefit over the others.

Instagram and YouTube are on the road to improving the opportunities for their users however TikTok is still a little slow in this process. Since the monetization features aren't the best, it will only take a while for creators to realize which platform serves as the best one in terms of revenue.

TikTok is even being compared to Vine, a similar platform that faced its demise when it couldn't provide enough monetization. However, it should also be considered that TikTok is far better liked and popular than Vine. It also is a huge platform, unlike Vine. But at the end of the day, it all comes down to money. So unless TikTok improves its revenue-generating opportunities, it cannot look forward to better days.

We are expecting big things from each platform and hope to see more opportunities for creators everywhere.

Read next: YouTube Announces An Array Of New Updates For The App, And Here’s What To Expect
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Twitter Continues to Be the Most Effective Platform for Media Publishers, TikTok Nowhere to Be Seen

If you were to take a look at the landscape of the social media industry just a decade ago, you would notice a faceoff between two major players namely Facebook and Twitter. In spite of the fact that this is the case, Twitter failed to sustain its growth due to some questionable policies and the social media platform quickly lost its steam as Facebook surpassed it partly due to its acquisition of platforms like Instagram and WhatsApp with all things having been considered and taken into account.

These past few years have seen a number of new players emerge as well such as Snapchat, Pinterest and of course TikTok. With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that despite Twitter’s seeming lack of pull among social media users, it continues to be the place where media publishers can gain the highest possible number of followers. This comes from research conducted by Axios wherein 82 major news and media outlets were surveyed and analyzed.

Each and every one of these publishers had a Twitter account because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up allowing them to expand their reach. Facebook came in second with Instagram coming in third, and while YouTube fell way behind it was still an important resource for media agencies and news outlets.

Interestingly, TikTok seems to be missing from this list. Around 25% of the surveyed organizations did not have TikTok accounts, and even the ones that had the foresight to create one had a lot of trouble finding followers. There are two possible reasons for this. Firstly, TikTok is still quite a new platform, and organizations are still somewhat hesitant to fully invest in it. Additionally, TikTok’s algorithm is considerably less predictable, and that makes Twitter the preferred choice.

Another thing to note here is that TikTok is still finding an identity for itself. Most of its users are looking for light entertainment, so there might not be an audience for news right now although this could change in the future.

The type of media that publishers are putting out there can also dramatically impact how well they perform. For example, publishers who post business and finance related content tend to find a lot of success on LinkedIn due to its community of professionals looking to hone their skills and build a proper network. Meanwhile, sports oriented publishers like ESPN tend to perform better on Instagram, and that makes TikTok a good option for them as well.

Meanwhile, news outlets branch outside of Twitter by setting up shop on YouTube and Facebook as well. Hence, while Twitter is the standard platform that they post on first, they refine their content for publishing on various other platforms as well depending on their niche. That gives each platform a bit of an edge, and it is interesting to see Twitter continuing to fight it out so many years later. We will have to see if the upcoming Elon Musk acquisition has any kind of an impact on Twitter’s current status as a hub for news and media publishing.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

YouTube is merging its YouTube Short and YouTube Music channels to provide a shared playlist

As the short video trend began to attract attention, many social media platforms started to bring cloned features aboard. Similarly, the renowned video streaming hub, YouTube, which is famous for its long videos, has also added a similar feature under the name of YouTube Shorts.

So far, the Short developers have done an amazing job by engaging more users with this new YouTube Short feature, and over time, they keep adding new or updated features to make it a more user-friendly experience for everyone.

Another recent development in this project is linking YouTube Shorts with YouTube Music. Most of the shorts are based on music in the background, which attracts more viewers. Based on the music, the feature already provides an option through which the viewers can watch other videos that have the same background music. But after the two YouTube-owned projects are linked, the viewers will not only be able to watch other related content but if they want to save the used music, it can also be done easily with just a single tap on the Save button.

Once the used music is saved, it can be found under the Sounds from Short folder, which will be available on both the YouTube application and YouTube music as well.

This feature will be more exciting for YouTube Music users as they will be able to use this saved music or soundtracks in their short video content.

In comparison to the features offered by TikTok, which gave a boost to this short video content, YouTube is providing an additional feature to its users, making it easy for them to not only find good music but to be able to use it for their projects.

The fusion of YouTube Shorts with YouTube Music is a gateway for new features under this section. And it can be expected that other social media or video-sharing platforms will be coming up with similar ideas but with different features to attract more audiences to keep up with the competition.

H/T: 9to5G

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

YouTube Announces An Array Of New Updates For The App, And Here’s What To Expect

YouTube has announced an array of updates on the app. From changes to its community guidelines for sensitive content to the launch of a new experiment - we’ve covered it all for your convenience below. So let’s take a look!

For starters, YouTube has opted to enhance its accessibility feature for all. Therefore, it's launching a new experiment called Touch Captions. For now, it’s a test that will be performed solely on the desktop and will entail just a limited number of English content channels.

The experiment will begin toward the end of September. As far as the feature is concerned, well, it’s going to enable users to suggest auto-captions by directly fiddling with the app’s panel for transcriptions. So YouTube hopes an overall enhancement of quality can come into play with this new addition for captions while reducing the time and effort of creators and users that hope to add their contributions to a channel.

When viewing a channel with this feature, the user can simply open the transcript, click the editor, and provide suggestions. This way, it won't impact their watch experience.

But remember, the feature is only going to be available for video content where the button for automatic captions is kept on.

Next up, the company is taking great pride in its partnership with OBS, which actually took place late last month. So now, HDR support will be passed on to OBS users too. This is the name reserved for high dynamic range support.

This will enable users to witness better contrast of colors than the standard range. So you can see the great impact that deeper blacks and brighter whites can add to HDR screens that support this system.

The feature will be available to all OBS users with the appropriate coder and settings to stream directly to YouTube. And this won’t have any need for additional equipment for use or setup.

YouTube then went on to shed light on a new update to its community guidelines that came into effect on September 7. This update on the policy for nudity and explicit content is taking center stage for both animated and live content.

YouTube wants to make sure the app is a platform for all to be safe while expressing themselves artistically. Anything from television or fictional content that does not cross the line and is directed to educate viewers will be allowed solely. This includes removing age restrictions for sexual content that displays zero nudity.

If there is the content linked to a sex toy that isn’t being promoted in the script in a graphic or sexual manner, it won’t be age-restricted again. Therefore, safe sex tutorials or product reviews for sex toys whose main intention is solely to provide education on the subject won’t be age-restricted.

However, ASMR content that’s sexually gratifying will be restricted on the platform, like explicit sounds. These will come with age restrictions or be completely removed. And the new change would apply to content, thumbnails, banners, and posts.

Any image featuring explicit material without warning will be removed or age-restricted. Remember, all of these updates apply to all content types, like videos, comments, links, and more. All content uploaded after this policy was introduced will have to face the consequences.

Lastly, the app wants to be more engaging and immersive for viewers, so they’re exploring a new version of vertical videos on Home. This includes updated thumbnails to the 4 by 5 size for better viewership. YouTube hopes the feature can enhance both views and total watch time for creators on the app.

This new feature is getting launched around the world this week so stay tuned.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Meta Rolls Out End-To-End Encryption For Instagram’s Direct Chats

Meta has reportedly taken off to the next era of its messaging integration project. And this is being hailed as the final stage as Instagram users can now activate end-end encryption.

The feature will solely be limited to Instagram’s direct chats, as confirmed by a social media user named Salman Memon. He shared a screengrab of what the feature appears like in the form of a pop-up notification.

This reminds users that they can now activate the E2E (end-to-end encryption) for their chats on the app.

The news of the rollout for the feature was announced by Meta last month, who spoke about the beta launch, and if things went to plan, the feature would come its way to the masses. This test was first restricted to a small group of users. And then we heard more news about how the test included adults hailing from Ukraine and Russia.

And that’s when the tech giant revealed that its next goal was to incorporate people from around the globe in the test, followed by a complete release that we’re seeing take place now.

So if you actually come to think of it, the feature was a long time coming. But it’s here now, so we can relish end-to-end encryption with open arms. Similarly, this is major news for Meta because it marks the addition of encryption for all of its messaging apps. WhatsApp and Messenger had it, and now Instagram joins the list too.

This doesn’t mean everyone is impressed with the launch, as many critics fear that the feature may be misused by allowing criminal activity to go unnoticed.

In August of this year, the UK’s Home Secretary requested Meta to think twice about its decision to expand encryption. The reason was simple; authorities feel it would serve as a barrier to officers trying to investigate crimes and prevent child abuse.

There was much debate about how parents had every right to be aware of where their kids happened to be and what they were doing online. And with deficient protections like E-2-E encryption, we’re making it so much harder for officials to crack down on those acting as a threat to younger audiences.

It’s a surprise that Meta is silent on the matter, despite it being the one to delineate through its own studies that child abuse was evident on social media platforms, and cases of abusive imagery of kids have mustered up to be a grand total of 22 million.

On the other hand, in 2020, another report shed light on how Facebook was to blame for 94% of those child abuse images obtained by tech companies. Naturally, if criminals are provided with more advanced tools through which their activity can go unnoticed online, then the concern that people have is valid.

Remember, encryption is as good a thing as it is bad. And it can make it impossible to detect malicious activity online.

But Meta tried to justify its stance by claiming that the feature is already up for grabs to those who wish to use it across Messenger and WhatsApp.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World